Stupid Stupid Amazon reviewers

[yendi]

So, I was looking at the reviews for Valdine Clemens' The Return of the Repressed: Gothic Horror from the Castle of Otranto to Alien. And one of the negative reviews reads:

. . .suddenly Clemens starts assuming the most outrageous things. When Mr. Hyde starts destroying Jekyll's library and in the process tears the portrait of Jekyll senior off the wall, Clemens identifies it as "an attack on the Father" that already started with Otranto. Likewise, she identifies "Jekyll" is a pun, being "je kill", the meaning of which she alludes to but never fully explains.

Okay, I'm willing to accept that the attack on the father (although pretty blatant) is at least debatable. But the "Je Kill" part, one of the more famous literary puns? And the guy's pissed that it's never explained? Sorry, but no. I'd rather an author assume I'm intelligent and decently educated (especially in academic writing) any day of the week.

So yeah, I added the book to my wishlist out of spite.

Comments

[phantom_wolfboy]

But the "Je Kill" part, one of the more famous literary puns?

I've never heard of that one. Anyone give any particular reason for assuming words in two different languages (assuming that it's read as french "je" for "I" and english "kill" for "kill")? Why not "I tuer"?

I'd accept the attack on the father stuff since the novel allegedly came straight out of the author's subconscious in a frenzied writing streak--though it sounds a tad freudian to me.

[lonesomenumber1]

But the "Je Kill" part, one of the more famous literary puns?

Boy, I can't remeber the last time I've felt so stupid.

Oh, yeah, I can. It was three years ago when I was reading American Gods and it finally dawned upon me who "Low Key" was.

I should spend some time reading out loud.

[toratigris.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I've never heard of "je kill" before. Of course, I don't require an explanation of what it means, either.

It does sound like an interesting book.

[experimentego.livejournal.com]

Well in all honesty, I've always found the reading of multi-lingual puns as a search for meaning quite a bit of a stretch. I mean, that's the same kind of logic that people use to suggest that Ouija is the work of the devil because the devil always says "Yes." (Oui & Ja).

But you're right. I'd rather have a book that doesn't insult my intelligence. Maybe the reviewer was frustrated that the meaning was only alluded to because he couldn't figure that out?

And buying stuff out of spite is fun.